Replace a Complaining Attitude

Transcription

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2 Replace a Complaining Attitude SESSION ONE When you get out of bed in the morning, what s your a tude? Is it a good indicator of your a tude for the day? Of your outlook on life? Find one or two more people in your group with a morning a - tude like yours. Commit to pray for one another throughout this study. QUESTIONS: Look at the outline of this study. You'll see five nega ve a - tudes and five posi ve a tudes that outline this 10-week study. Which one nega ve a tude and one posi ve a tude do you most want to (or need to) study? Why? Replace a Complaining A tude / with Thankfulness Replace a Covetous A tude / with Contentment Replace a Cri cal A tude / with Love Replace a Doub ng A tude / with Faith Replace a Rebellious A tude / with Submission Do you think most people are aware of their a tudes or think about them o en? How do you think people develop posi ve or nega ve a tudes? Do you think it s easy or difficult to change an a tude? ===================================================== VERSES: Numbers 14 1 Corinthians 10:1-3, 6, 9-11 Numbers 11:1-3 Numbers 11:10, 33, 12:9, 25:4, 32:14 Psalm 105 Numbers 14:12, 15:24, 16:3, 17:3 Hebrews 12:6 Hebrews 13:8 Psalm 7:11 Page 2

3 Session One TEACHING: Those who choose murmuring as a lifestyle will spend their lifeme in the WILDERNESS. We CHOOSE our a tudes. A tudes are PATTERNS of thinking formed over a long period of TIME. Complaining is SIN. (to miss the mark, fall short). Complaining is to express DISSATISFACTION with a circumstance that is not wrong and about which I am doing nothing myself to CORRECT. God HEARS our complaining. God is displeased when you complain about your LOT in life, the circumstances that are unique to you. Whatever God has allowed, that's the thing He wants to grow your FAITH through. God HATES our complaining. God JUDGES our complaining. Am I a COMPLAINER? Am I reaping the CONSEQUENCES of complaining in my relaonship with God? Am I willing to REPENT? Page 3

4 DISCUSS: 1. How did James MacDonald define a tude? Why is it important to realize that we choose our a tudes? 2. Complaining is a good place to start this study because we all complain. What do you complain about most o en? Why is it so easy to complain? What does complaining reveal about our hearts? 3. Why is it important to understand that God hears, hates, and judges our complaining? Why does He respond in those ways? Which response did you most need to hear today? 4. The wilderness will be a common theme throughout this study. How would you summarize what James said about the wilderness? 5. What did you learn from the biblical examples used in the video teaching? How can you apply those lessons to your life today? 6. Have you ever considered complaining to be sinful? How does that change your perspec ve? What complaining a tude can you repent of? 7. What will you do to guard yourself from complaining this week? Whenever you catch yourself being tempted to complain, deliberately choose to stop yourself and ask the Lord to change your a tude. ===================================================== We either get BETTER or we get BITTER. We are o en so blessed that we should know be er. We get on the ONE THING that has happened and miss the blessings, it s like God doesn t ever provide enough. Page 4

5 With an Attitude of Thankfulness 1. What are you most thankful for? Why? 2. In what areas of your life or for what specific things have you grown more thankful over me? Is there something in your life that you took for granted at one point but are now thankful for? What changed your perspec ve? 3. In general, would you say you re a thankful person? Why or why not? ===================================================== A er reflec on on being robbed in his prayer journal, Ma hew Henry wrote: I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed. VERSE USED Luke 17:11-19 Romans 1:18-21 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31 THREE SCHOOLS OF THANKFULNESS Hebrews 13:15 Elementary School 1 Thessalonians 5:18 High School Ephesians 5:18-20 Collegiate Thankfulness ===================================================== Those who choose complaining as their lifestyle with spend their life me in the wilderness. Your a tude brings you to a fork in the road we must choose. No one actually desires to live in the desert. Page 5

6 Session Two TEACHING: A tude is EVERYTHING (Luke 17:11-19) Everyone needs the LORD. Only a few thank Him PERSONALLY. They had to ask, they had to go in faith, and then the MIRACLE happened. (Luke 17:14 as they went) Only a few experience Him POWERFULLY. Thankfulness leads to greater TRANSFORMATION. The walk of faith begins with a CHOICE. GRATITUDE is the a tude that sets the al tude for living. Gra tude is to show that a kindness received is VALUED. Thankfulness is a DECISION. Thankfulness is a decision based on REALITY. Thankfulness is a LIFE - CHANGING decision. Am I a THANKFUL/GRATEFUL person? ===================================================== We can t just stop complaining, we must replace a complaining a tude with an a tude of thankfulness. Faith grows in the soil of gra tude. God deeply despises a nega ve, fault-finding, faithless a tude. Page 6

7 DISCUSS: 1. What did James MacDonald mean when he said a tude is everything? Do you agree? Why or why not? 2. In general, why should Chris ans be thankful? What specific things are you thankful for as a Chris an? 3. How does thankfulness lead to greater faith? 4. In what ways have you experienced the rela onship between faith in God and an a tude of thankfulness? How does thankfulness affect your rela onships with other people? 5. In what ways is a thankful a tude a blessing in and of itself? 6. What did James mean when he said ungodliness flows from ungratefulness? How has your life been affected by the cycle of ungratefulness and ungodliness? 7. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you recognize the contrast between complaining and thankfulness? How did it provide insight into the value of thankfulness? 8. How can an a tude of thankfulness be applied to specific areas of complaint you ve iden fied over the past week? 9. Is there anyone to whom you need to express thankfulness this week? What specific things will you do this week to grow in an a tude of thankfulness? Page 7

8 Replace a Covetous Attitude When, where, or about what do you s ll struggle with complaining? Give an example of a way you ve asked the Lord to change your a tude and how you ve tried to be inten onally thankful this past week. 1. Covet isn t a word we use o en today, if at all, but it's no less a sin than in biblical mes. How would you define covetousness? 2. Would you say our culture encourages or discourages covetousness? Explain your answer. Their needs were met but they s ll wanted more. North America is drowning in a sea of covetousness. Kids have their sights on the same bondage as their parents. Dave Ramsey says, kids want now what took their parents 35 years to build. Session Three TEACHING: ACT 1: Yielding to Covetousness and Why God Hates It 1. Covetousness becomes sin when we YIELD. Numbers 11:4 Covetousness is wan ng WRONG things. Covetousness is wan ng RIGHT things but for wrong reasons. Covetousness is wan ng right things for right reasons but wan ng them at the wrong TIME. 2. When we DWELL on desire. yielding is just a ma er of me. (Numbers 11:4-5 dwelling on items/desires). The longer you dwell on something, the more you ll begin to CONVINCE yourself that you have to have it. Page 8

9 3. At the root of covetousness is a rejec on of God s SUFFICIENCY. (Numbers 11:6-7, 8-10, God s anger). Why did God provide manna? (Exodus 16:4 to test them! Would they gratefully accept God s provision for them or would they covet more and be er and different?). ACT 2: A Gi from God You Don t Want 1. Beware of begging God for NONESSENTIALS. Numbers 11:18-20, Psalm 106:15 2. In me we may HATE what we had to have. Numbers 11:31-32 ACT 3: The Consequences of Covetousness 1. Enough is never ENOUGH. (Numbers 11:31-32) 2. Life in the WILDERNESS. Am I a COVETSOUS person? Am I reaping the CONSEQUENCES of covetousness in my relaonship with God? Am I willing to REPENT? (Psalm 62:10) ===================================================== Beware of Jesus and Stuff. God then become insufficient. Having stuff creates in us a desire for more stuff. On what do we think people to impact or things to get? Am I seeking things to gra fy me or ac ons to bless others? Could covetousness be the reason I am spiritually dry? Page 9

10 DISCUSS: 1. Hate is a strong word James MacDonald used to describe God s perspec ve on our bad a tudes. Have you ever considered that God hates certain a tudes? In what ways is it helpful to use the word hate to describe His perspec ve? 2. What's the danger of materialism in our daily lives? In our relaonships with God? 3. James defined covetousness as wan ng the wrong things, the right things for the wrong reasons, or the right things at the wrong me. How did these three desires help you be er understand covetousness? Which of the three points was most convic ng and why? 4. When have you dwelled on something in a way that grew into covetousness? 5. In the video James said covetousness becomes ac ve sin only when we yield. What did he mean? Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? 6. What warnings did James give about the things we want? 7. When have you had a nega ve experience with ge ng what you thought you had to have? What effect did it have on you, your rela onships with others, or your rela onship with God? 8. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about covetousness? 9. About what specific things or in what areas of your life do you already recognize a tendency to covet? 10. What will you do to guard yourself from cove ng this week? Whenever you catch yourself being tempted to covet, make the deliberate choice to stop yourself and ask the Lord to change your a tude. Page 10

11 Have you no ced when you re most prone to covet? If so, what do you covet, and why do you think that's a struggle for you? Give an example of a way you ve asked the Lord to change your a - tude and what you ve done to resist covetousness this past week. QUESTIONS: 1. What would you say our culture s general a tude is toward being content with what we have? What values might influence that perspec ve? 2. Describe a me when you felt most content. Why were you so content at that me? 3. In general, would you say you're a contented person? Why or why not? Session Four TEACHING: With Contentment The opposite of covetousness is CONTENTMENT. Contentment is sa sfac on in God's sufficient PROVISION; to rest in what one has and seek nothing more; a se led sense of adequacy; the a tude of heart that says. "I have ENOUGH." James men oned the idea of se led adequacy. Desire for gain is not wrong, but it does cause many to desire WRONGLY. Godliness + CONTENTMENT = great gain. False Formulas for Happiness l. Godliness + PROSERITY = great gain Page 11

12 2. Godliness + POVERTY = great gain 3. Godliness + POWER = great gain 4. Godliness + family HARMONY = great gain 5. Godliness + MINISTRY success = great gain Look to ETERNITY 1 Timothy 6:6-7, James 4:14 Let enough be ENOUGH. 1 Timothy 6:8 How to Gain Contentment: Page 12 SEEK it. SAY it: "I have enough." SETTLE it. (Psalm 62:10) It's not wrong to have things. It's wrong when things have you. Learn by EXAMPLE. 1 Timothy 6:9 Money allows you to go places and do things and experience pressures to SIN that someone in poverty can never really understand. Our possession can keep us from following through on our commitments to Christ and his church boat, co age, etc. Misquoted verse in the Bible 1 Timothy 6:10 money is not the root of evil, but the LOVE of money is A root of all sorts of evil, not even THE root of all sorts of evil. Am I a CONTENTED person? Am I seeing the BLESSINGS of contentment in my life? Am I choosing CONTENTMENT over covetousness moment by moment? (Philippians 4:11)

13 DISCUSS: 1. Honestly, how o en do you think about the blessings God has provided in your life? What things first come to mind as God's provision in your life? What things do you most easily take for granted? 2. How is James MacDonald s clarifica on helpful that the desire for personal gain isn t wrong? Is it surprising to anyone? If so, why? How would you explain to someone the formula Godliness + contentment = great gain"? 4. Which of the five faulty equa ons for happiness have you encountered most o en in our culture? In popular Chris an thinking? In your own life? What makes each of those formulas faulty? 5. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about covetousness and thankfulness? How did it provide insight into the value of thankfulness? 6. What specific things will you do this week to strengthen an a - tude of contentment? ===================================================== Can a rich man go to heaven? Certainly, but it is hard to have everything this world has to offer and also know how much you need God. Bible This book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book. How many gases can you breath and s ll be OK? One. Equa ons and laws are absolute, like gravity. Yet we think spiritual absolutes are divine sugges ons. How many ways are there to eternal life? How many books reveal who God is? Page 13

14 Give an example of a way you've asked the Lord to change your a tude and how you ve made an inten onal decision to be content this past week. QUESTIONS: Replace a Critical Attitude 1. What would you say the difference is between recognizing that something could be be er, or is actually wrong, and therefore are being cri cal? 2. Would you say cri cism is rebuked, discouraged, encouraged, or celebrated in our culture? How o en do you see cri cism in the media and on social media? What might be the effect on our culture from our exposure to cri cal a tudes? 3. How can cri cism affect a person s day or even his or her life (either being cri cal or being cri cized)? Session Five TEACHING Cri cism is to dwell on the perceived FAULT of another person with no view to their good. Cri cism is WRONG. Cri cism is wrong for your FELLOWSHIP with God. Isaiah 59:1, 1 John 1:9 Cri cism is wrong for our rela onship with OTHERS. Cri cal people are o en lonely people. Cri cism is wrong for us PERSONALLY. Choose to sin; choose to SUFFER. Page 14

15 Cri cism is PETTY. The Real Issue: (it was not about Moses wife, but about status with the congrega on jealously of Moses Numbers 12:1-2). Page 15 UNFORGIVENESS. ENVY, jealousy, resentment. PERSONAL FAILURE. The Point: What is really bothering you? Cri cism is self-exalting. Proverbs 3:7 Cri cism is PAINFUL. (Moses feelings?) Cri cism is o en INADVERTANT. We had acted foolishly (Numbers 12:11). Every me I throw dirt at others, I lose ground. Am I a CRITICAL person? Am I reaping the CONSEQUENCES of a cri cal spirit in my relaonship with God? Am I willing to REPENT? ===================================================== Verses in this Session: Numbers 12:1-15 Ma hew 18:15-20 Exodus 15:21 Miriam was a godly woman, so this tells us that no one is beyond ba ling a cri cal spirit. The Lord HEARD (Numbers 12:2) Many people are cri cal and never even aware of it.

16 When God says, DON T - he means, Don t hurt yourself. Forgiveness = releasing the other person where they are no longer under obliga on. Absolute truth in the hands of absolute sinners can be absolutely brutal. Cri cism plugs the flow of God s blessing in your life. DISCUSS: 1. What did James say happens when we choose to sin? How have you seen that to be true of someone with a cri cal a tude? 2. What three issues were iden fied as the real problems underneath a cri cal a tude? Which of those issues have you experienced to be true in your own heart? In the lives of people around you? 3. Why is it important to recognize that our own a tudes and the a tudes of others are rooted in deeper issues? 4. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about a cri cal a tude? How was it helpful? 5. Which of the five affirma ons most effec vely helped you iden fy ways you can begin to replace a cri cal a tude? Why? 6. About what specific things or in what areas of your life do you already recognize a tendency to cri cize? 7. What Will you do to guard yourself from being cri cal this week? Whenever you catch yourself being tempted to cri cize, deliberately choose to stop yourself and ask the Lord to change your a tude. Page 16

17 Give an example of a way you've asked the Lord to change your a tude and what you've done to resist cri cism this past week. QUESTIONS: 1. How does our society define and portray love? What are some examples of an ideal love in our culture? Why might people view love that way? 2. How can love, the lack of love, or a misunderstanding of love affect a person s life? 3. In general, would you say you re a loving person? Why or why not? Session Six TEACHING: Ac on in one thing, but God is concerned with the heart. 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter - in a world of spiritual gi s, love was lacking. 1 John 4: 7-8, 16 God is love, love is from God. All truth and no love is BRUTALITY. Page 17 With Love Psalm 119:126 / Psalm 119:136 a heart like God. Agape views love as a DECISION, as an act of my will. Agape love is all about YOU before ME. Absolute truth in the hands of absolute sinners can be absolutely BRUTAL. John 1:14 Grace & Truth All love and no truth is HYPOCRISY.

18 Radical liberalism (love) / radical evangelicalism (truth) - there is power in the balancing them both. Love that holds to the truth is BALANCED love. On the majors, ACTION. Love is not passive. Is This a Major? Do I speak up or not? Page 18 Romans 3:23, 3:10, Isaiah 53:6. Is it cri cal PATH / FALLOUT? Is it a chronic PROBLEM? Is it close PROXIMITY? Most things are not MAJOR. On the minors, ACCEPTANCE. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. Cultural Differences Personal Differences Personality Differences In all things, LOVE. John 13:35, 1 Corinthians 13:8 Am I a LOVING person? Am I seeing the BENEFITS of love in my life? Am I choosing love over a CRITICAL spirit? Preaching is truth communicated through personality. DISCUSS: 1. Before watching the video session, would you have thought of love as the opposite of cri cism? What words would you have first thought of as the opposite of cri cism?

19 2. James McDonald said truth without love is brutality. What was your ini al response to that statement? A er hearing his explanaon, do you consider brutality an appropriate word choice? Why or why not? 3. Which example of being all truth and no love would you say is most common in our society? In your own rela onships (no names)? 4. How would you explain the statement All love and no truth is hypocrisy"? 5. There are mes when something is 100 percent true but hur ul in the situa on or in its lack of tac ulness. How have you hurt somebody or been hurt by somebody when truth without love was expressed? What was the result of that experience? 6. In what ways are the three ques ons helpful in dis nguishing between a major and a minor point? Do you tend to major on minors and avoid dealing with majors? How does this tendency relate to love? 7. What are some examples of selfless, "you-before-me" agape love? 8. From whom have you experienced true (agape) love? What effect does this kind of biblical love have on you as the giver of love? On others as the recipients of love? On those who witness that kind of love? 9. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about cri cism and love? How did it provide insight into the value of love? 10. What specific things will you do this week to inten onally show love, especially to people of whom you've been cri cal? Page 19

20 Replace a Doubting Attitude QUESTIONS: 1. Does our society view doubt as posi ve, nega ve, or neutral? Explain. What might contribute to this cultural perspec ve? 2. In general, would you say you re a doub ul person? If so, in what par cular areas are you more prone to doubt? Session Seven TEACHING: PLAN A - go on in and take the land. PLAN B - send in the spies. PLAN C - wander the wilderness un l the adults die off. Doubt is the absence of FAITH. Doubt is a lack of confidence or assurance that God will keep His PROMISES. God has promised to PROVIDE for me (Philippians 4:19). God has promised to PROTECT me (Isaiah 54:17). God has promised to PROSPER me (Psalm 84:11). God places regular TESTS of faith in front of His children. Faith is a CHOICE. Faith is not a part of the Chris an life. It's the WHOLE THING. The circumstances of life will shrink or STRETCH your faith. (Numbers 13:17-29, Deuteronomy 1:28-30). Doubt sees the obstacles. Faith sees the OPPORTUNITIES. Numbers 13:30-31 Caleb quieted the people. However. Page 20

21 Disguises for Doubt People call their doubt FEAR: "God won't protect me." People call their doubt ANGER: "God won't solve my problem for me." People WITHDRAW: "God won't answer my ques ons." People get BITTER: "God won't heal my hurt." People say, "I just need THE FACTS. We're all faced with a series of great opportuni es brilliantly disguised as unsolvable PROBLEMS. - Hendricks When surrounded by DOUBTERS, doub ng comes easily. Numbers 14:1-2 (all the people, whole crowd) Why Doub ng Is Easy Doubt is CONTAGEOUS. (Numbers 14:2-3) Doubt is PASSIVE. Faith is ac ve. It sa sfies our tendency toward self PROTECTION. Doubters are easy to find. Friends of FAITH are rare and have to be sought out. It's a short journey from doubt to DESPAIR. Numbers 14:3-4 totally spi ng in God s face, a desperate plan. DESPERATE plans come from despairing hearts. Am I a DOUBTFUL person? Am I reaping the CONSEQUENCES of doubt in my rela onship with God? Am I willing to REPENT? Page 21

22 DISCUSS: 1. Had you ever considered doubt as a lack of confidence in God s ability or willingness to keep His promises? How does doubt affect your perspec ve on a rela onship with God? 2. Which of the promises men oned in this video are you most grateful for? Which promises are you most prone to doubt, even if you wouldn't previously say so openly or hadn t previously recognized them as indica ng a doub ul a tude toward God? 3. Which one of the five disguises for doubt was most surprising? Which do you most o en hide behind and why? How has doubt affected your life in the past? 4. Why is doubt so easy and so common? How can doubt hurt your witness as a Chris an? 5. What will you do to guard yourself from doub ulness this week? Whenever you catch yourself being tempted to doubt, deliberately choose to stop yourself and ask the Lord to change your a tude. ===================================================== Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it. - Swindoll Faith is How We: 1. Please God Hebrews 11:6 2. Come to God Ephesians 2: Con nue in God Colossians 2:6 God tests our faith to see how much we have. Are you going to pass the test by faith? When you bump into a Chris an, you find out what they re full of. God sent in his A Team, not a B Team (Numbers 13:2) God knows the temperature of the fire you re in. Page 22

23 Have you no ced when you re most prone to doubt? Why do you think that is an area of vulnerability? Give an example of a way you ve asked the Lord to change your a tude and how you ve tried to guard against doub ulness this week. QUESTION: What is usually meant in our culture when someone says to have faith or to believe? In whom or in what does our culture encourage people to have faith in or believe? Can that kind of a tude be helpful? Can it be hur ul? Explain. Session Eight TEACHING: Faith is NOT: An -INTELLECTUAL. This truth has stood the test of me. There are awesome answers to ques ons. ESCAPISM. This truth has substance. Mind SCIENCE. This truth is not a mo va onal seminar or possibility thinking. There is SUBSTANCE Like having a receipt and knowing the product that you ordered is on its way. There is EVIDENCE Understanding that you have ordered things before and they come, so you know this order will come too. The PRESCRIPTION for faith. With Faith Faith is ac ve CONFIDENCE in God. Faith is BELIEVING the Word of God and ACTIING upon it, no ma er how I FEEL, because God promises a good RESULT. Page 23

24 Believing and ACTING upon it: prac cal examples... Page 24 FAMILY need. Preach and pressure, 1 Peter 3:1-2 FINANCIAL need. Tithing when money is ght, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Malachi 3:10 FULFILLMENT need. Ma hew 11:28-29, Jeremiah 29:13 The PROMINENCE of faith. Bible history found in one chapter Hebrews 11 (THE HALL OF FAITH) The message of faith is found EVERYWHERE in the Bible Ma hew 6:25-34, 8:1-4, 8:5-13, 8:23-27, 9:1-8, 9:20-22, 13:53-58, 14:22-31, 15:21-28, 16:5-12, 17:14-23, 20:29-34, 21: Faith is not a PART of the Chris an life. Faith is the WHOLE thing. 2 Chronicles 16:9 The POWER of Faith Hebrews 11:33-39 Faith is the VICTORY that overcomes the world. 1 John 5:4 Faith is greater than love? 1 Corinthians 13:13 HORIZANAL - In the context of the Corinthians in their rela onships (they needed love) VERTICAL - In the context of our rela onship with God (we need faith). The PLAN of faith. WORD - CULTIVATE your faith. Romans 10:17 WITNESS - CONFESS your faith. Romans 10:9 WALK - CORNER your faith. Mark 9:23 ===================================================== Verses in this Session: Psalm 90:1 Psalm 46:1 Titus 1:2 Hebrews 11 1 Corinthians 10:11 Ma hew 4

25 Faith is all in there is no plan B It is not faith when it is only in your head (that s belief), we must act on it. The pendulum illustra on ever decreasing arcs.; will you act on it? The Fact Faith Feelings illustra on. The challenge is to put off the old and put on the new: life, a - tudes, habits, thoughts Just believe God for that. He will not disappoint you. DISCUSS: 1. How can there be evidence for something we can t see? Explain your answer with nonspiritual examples that any person would understand and agree to be true. 2. James also provided a defini on of faith, explaining belief, acons, feelings, and the promised result. In what ways do you struggle with doubt in any of these areas? 3. Do you believe it's OK to ask God for certain things? Why or why not? Share examples of answered prayers that strengthened your faith. 4. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about doubt and faith? How did it provide insight into the value of faith? What other Scriptures do you depend on to strengthen your faith? 5. How important is community in developing your faith? Explain your answer. What specific things will you do this week to be inten onal about growing in faith? Page 25

26 When, where, or about what do you s ll struggle with doubt? Give an example of a way you ve asked the Lord to change your a tude and how you ve been inten onal in prac cing faith this past week. QUESTIONS: 1. Name some famous rebels in history, classic literature, or popular media. What made them rebels? 2. Do you think being a rebel has a posi ve, nega ve, or neutral connota on in our society? Can you iden fy any specific examples? Why do you think rebels are viewed that way? The 50s = SURFACE Rebellion The 60s = STRUCTURAL Rebellion The 70s = SEXUAL Rebellion The 80s = SOCIAL Rebellion The 90s = SUPER Rebellion We have gone from believing in the autonomy of the local church to believing in the autonomy of the local believer. Session Nine TEACHING: Numbers 16 Rebellion is SERIOUS. Romans 13:1 (authori es) Rebellion exists in EVERY human heart. Rebellion is knowing but not DOING. Rebellion has many sources. 1. JEALOUSY. Numbers 16:3 2. DELUSION. Numbers 16:5-7 (note the sarcasm) Page 26 Replace a Rebellious Attitude

27 3. UNGRATEFULNESS. Numbers 16:8-11 (posi on/privilege) 4. STUBBORNNESS. Numbers 16:12, 1 Samuel 15:23 (we will not...) = insubordina on and idolatry. 5. DISAPPOINTMENT. Numbers 16:13-14 maybe they thought they should already have arrived in the Promised Land. 6. DISTRUST. Numbers 16:14 the blinding of eyes, blind to your own faults, blind followers. Rebellion has many CONSEQUENCES. 1. LEADERSHIP withdrawal. Numbers 16:20-21 killing the leaders rather than the congrega on. 2. INNOCENCE defiled. Numbers 16:25-27 sins of the parents effec ng the next genera on. 3. GUILTY condemned. Numbers 16:28-40 when they despised authority, they despised God. 4. INFECTION spread. Numbers 16:41-46 did the people not learn from what happened just one day before? Rebellion is ul mately against GOD. Numbers 16:47-48, 16:11, 16: Am I a rebellious person and am I will willing to repent? ===================================================== Korah = bald one These rebels knew the truth, chose to rebel, and faced the consequences. Let God be the judge of who are God s people, not us. Pride is a stage of an -God. Page 27

28 DISCUSS: 1. How and when is rebellion harmful? Is there a me when you think rebellion is good? If so, what s the dividing line between the two? 2. Had you ever considered rebellion as passivity as knowing but not doing? In what ways is rebellious passivity equally sinful as rebellious ac vity? 3. When has your desire for control of a situa on or rela onship led to rebelliousness? What consequences did your rebellion have in those instances? 4. When have you rebelled against God? What consequences did your rebellion have in those instances? How did God reveal and convict you of your rebellious a tude? 5. James MacDonald men oned six sources of rebellion. Which source of rebellion do you see most o en? 6. How do these sources help you understand your own a - tudes? How do they help you understand the behavior of other people in your life? 7. What Scripture or biblical example in the video most effec vely helped you think about rebellion? How did it provide insight into the danger of a rebellious a tude? What other Scriptures help you understand the implica ons of rebelliousness? 8. About what specific things or in what areas of your life do you already recognize a tendency to rebel? 9. What will you do to guard yourself from rebelliousness this week? Whenever you catch yourself being tempted to rebel, deliberately choose to stop yourself and ask the Lord to change your a tude. Page 28

29 Give an example of a way you ve asked the Lord to change your a tude and how you ve guarded yourself against rebellion this week. 1. What has been the most helpful truth you ve learned during this study? 2. What has been the most significant change in your a tudes during this study? 3. In what area is God con nuing to work in your life? QUESTIONS: With Submission 1. What do you think of when you hear the word submission? 2. How does our culture view submission? Why do you think it's viewed that way? Session Ten TEACHING: 1 Peter 2:13-23 You can't abandon a subject of Scripture simply because it's been HIGHJACKED by others. God gave commands for them to be a blessing. Submission is DUTY to God. Romans 13:1, Ephesians 5:21 Submission is what respec ul people offer in recogni on that God has established AUTHORIES. Submission is a choice we make. Do we fight or cooperate with authori es? Submission is a military term, like a chain of command Page 29

30 Submission is, to operate within the established authority, to be under the chain of command that God has established. God does not want anarchy in society. Submission is COOPERATION with God. Submission is PROTECTION by God. Doing what is right will silence the ignorance of foolish men. 1 Peter 2:13-15 (the word for muzzle). When working properly, God's authority structure administers JUSTICE. The jus ce system has moved criminals from evil doers who need to be punished to vic ms who need to be healed. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). We are never told to be humble but to humble yourselves (1 Peter 5:6). But you don t know what I m going through here, God says, Don t worry about it (1 Peter 5:7). Submission passages: pride vs humility (1 Peter 5:5), humble yourself under God, spouse, or boss (1 Peter 5:6), and don t worry, he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). There is tension in the truth. Submission has LIMITS under God. (Act as free men) 1 Peter 2:16, Acts 5:29 (obey men or obey God?) Submission is VOLUNTARY. Submission is commanded by God by not demanded by others. There is no forced submission, the Bible says to submit yourself. Act as free men, not slaves. Submission Limits Page 30 It depends on the SOURCE. (From your boss or your spouse?) It depends on the SEVERITY. Verbal vs physical, passive or ac ve, neglect?

31 It depends on the FREQUENCY. Abuse: happened once or a repeated pa ern? Jesus has given us an example to follow. 1 Peter 2:21 Going to Extremes: Using the biblical teaching on submission as an excuse to STAY when it's destruc ve to you. When the authority structure in the home fails, go to the authority structure in the CHURCH if it's not a criminal ma er. The Lord will fight for us, so submit to it rather than resis ng it. (Deuteronomy 3:22) Submission is FAVOR from God. 1 Peter 2:19-20 Submission is INTIMACY with God. Father, you see this and I s ll trust you. (1 Peter 2:21-25) DISCUSS: 1. Why should people feel an urgency about changing an a tude of rebelliousness? 2. James MacDonald iden fied several posi ve traits of biblical submission. How does each trait help you understand submission? Which was the most encouraging and why? 3. James suggested three limits to dis nguish between healthy and unhealthy submission. How does each limit help you to understand a biblical view of submission? 4. How are submi ng to God and submi ng to people related? Why is this connec on important to keep in mind? Page 31